When you first sit down to write a blog you hope people are going to want to read it – unless you plan it as a private journal where you can unburden yourself or have a rant at the world (OK so occasionally I have a rant too). So it’s great for me that so [...]
Harriet Harperson having to apologise for referring to Liberal Democrat Danny Alexander as a “ginger rodent‘ and by implication insulting a whole nation – priceless. How I wish we still had Spitting Image. Described as the “Po-faced doyen of political correctness” by Nationalist MSP Shirley Anne Somerville, she not only insulted Alexander in a speech [...]
Mums have come clean and admitted that they treat their sons more favourably than their daughters. At least the 2,500 Mums on the notorious advice web-site Netmums who contributed to the study reported in the press today. Mums say they are more critical of their daughters whilst accepting poorer behaviour from their sons which they [...]
Generally speaking the more attractive you are the more you earn (see “Take me to your leader…“). This is even true of lecturers and lawyers, professions where you might think expertise was more important, and what’s more people think you are also better at your job – an example of the “halo” effect. It’s especially [...]
How we look is important but to some people it’s everything. In America 1 in 3 women think the way they look is more important for their self-esteem than intelligence or job performance. Students said they would rather marry an embezzler, a shop lifter, or a drug smuggler than someone who was obese. And 11% [...]
Modest men are getting the brush-off from women. Modest? Shy? Reluctant to tell everyone how brilliant you are? If you’re male, then you can probably add ‘single’ to that list. ‘New men’ beware: research has revealed women don’t like modesty in a man. Instead, cocky types are more likely to win their hearts. Other men also [...]
The pygmy posting is worrying me now (see: “What’s in a (politically correct) name?“) because I’ve been reminded about some research on tallness. I first came across this a few years ago and mentioned it in a leadership workshop in Sweden – along the lines of biological impact on leadership eg good looks, tallness, first born [...]
A reliable source informs me that at a university not far from here the language commission has decreed that the word pygmy is no longer acceptable. The preferred term is; ” little people of the rainforest”. This begs lots of questions: leaving aside historical Greek references to races of dwarves, anthropologists apparently use the term [...]
